I know that I haven't been writing here for ages, but I found it really hard to just sit down and properly write something. Especially due to the fact that another semester of my studies has started and as we all now, the second one is briefer than the first one. Now I just want to focus myself on studying and working and finish everything on time in the middle of June, so I hope you understand my long absence and the whole situation.

Anyway, here's a blog post from our trip to London which took part at the end of February (yeah,

British museums are great. Especially in London, where there is a variety of different kinds to choose. We've been practically to all the important ones. The best thing is that many of them have free admission tickets, it's definitely an advantage in such an expensive city.

In British Museum I went to both Chinese and Japanese exhibition, the Clocks and Watches Gallery and the Renaissance Collection. I mostly went to guided tours as I could get more detailed info about the exhibits.

On our way to Tate Modern we were accidentally passing through the Borough Market. We decided to stop by and it was one of our best decisions that day. I highly recommend going there, you can try some street food and meet lovely people. I actually preferred it more than Portobello Road Market (even if they sell different things) which I was initially looking up to .

The other day we went to Portobello Road Market. We arrived shortly after opening so there wasn't much to see yet, but then we spent there about 2 hours and I just.. don't find it really special. In Poland we have a lot of similiar markets and this one was supposed to be great as it is well known and being claimed as one of the top attractions when it comes to shopping in London.

Następnie pojechałyśmy zobaczyć Wellington Arch i okolice łuku.

Then we headed to see the Wellington Arch and the neighbourhood of the building.

Okay, so I guess that is it for today's post. I hope you enjoyed as much as I did making it and visiting London. The next post will be about Brussels and I hope it will show up very soon :) have a fantastic week!

2014/02/20

Just a quick update of what I have been doing the past few days (or weeks.. the time keeps flowing like a river). When I came to Poland, I landed in Cracow. Since the flight was in the evening, I decided to stay for a night in this beautiful city and I was hosted by my friends. All of them were studying hard for the exams, so the next day I woke up quite early and decided to do something productive. I didn't have much time, but there was one place I have been wanting to visit for a long time- The Museum of Contemporary Art.

It is situated in the neighbourhood of some industrial plants and although the views outside are not magnificent, it's not far from the city centre and it's definitely worth visiting.

I know that there are many people considering contemporary art as boring and bizarre. It also happens to me to be staring at a piece of art thinking what on earth is that supposed to mean. But although we may not always understand the message of an author, we should appreciate the fact that there are many creative people trying to express their feelings in different ways, so I really took my time and discovered many interesting works.

What I like about the MOCAK museum is that it has the exhibitions of many young, talented artists and it is divided into different parts, so you're able to watch there some short movies, see the paintings or the sculptures. Museum also include a bookshop and a very nicecafé, where you can seat down and treat yourself with a hot drink after visiting the collections.

After my short trip I went back to the flat and made my friends a quick dinner. Then it was time to leave and my next stop was Wroclaw.

I spent there couple of days hanging out with my boyfriend, eating a lot and enjoying great moments in that charming city. I also had to arrange some of my university things, so it was both busy and relaxing time.

We discovered new places to eat and drink but I'll be making a seperate post about it (maybe). After the time spent in Wroclaw, I headed home, from where I am writting right at the moment.

Now I can officialy say that my 3rd semester is over, because I passed all of my exams in Spain and one additional in Poland. To celebrate it and also take advantage of the last free days, I am going with my friend to London! We will also be making a short trip to Brussels, so I'm really excited. Have a lovely end of the week, everyone! And stay tuned for the next blog update :)

I was supposed to public this already a while ago. I want to share with you my feelings after coming back from Spain and you will see several pictures of Murcia, including some of the places worth visiting.

I spent in Spain more than four months, as an exchange student (from the Erasmus programme). As for me, it was a great solution, because I am studying Spanish Philology and after a semester of living in that country my language level has improved considerably. Although I have to admit that before leaving I had mixed feelings and many fears- I had just started my second year at uni, I had never been to Spain before and I had only been learning a language for (not even) a year. However, this trip turned out to be one of the most interesting adventures of my life and a period, that I won't forget easily.

Wyjazd
również bardzo mnie usamodzielnił; wprawdzie już od pierwszego roku
studiów mieszkam poza domem, ale teraz byłam sama w obcym kraju, bez możliwości nagłego powrotu w razie potrzeby. Nikt mnie też nie utrzymywał, więc poza otrzymywanym stypendium pracowałam dodatkowo, co pozwoliło mi także nauczyć się lepszej organizacji i planowania. I had especially a great luck for people that I got a chance to meet, but it also seems to me that I came back rich in new experiences, knowledge and a slightly different attitude towards life. The whole trip also made me more independent. Although I have been studying away from home since the first year at the uni, this time I was alone in the foreign country, without the possibility to come back home of a sudden, if necessary. What is more, my parents didn't provide money for my studies abroad, so beside getting a grant, I was also working on the side, which helped me to be more organised and to plan things.

After a relatively long time spent in a foreign country, I have many thoughts about its people, the culture or a daily life. It is common knowledge that the Spaniards are very open-minded and have a positive attitude towards life. On top of that, I was in the south part of country, where the sun is shining most of the time, which has a huge impact on our mood. I experienced that by myself- this winter I didn't have the blues and the every-year-autumn-melancholy (especially during November). The inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula are also very helpful, when you ask the way, they will mostly take you directly to that place. They are sincere and direct, seems like they don't like to hide anything.

Jeden z teatrów, wystawiane tam są sztuki klasyczne, ale i nowoczesne. Plac teatralny to modne miejsce spotkań; znajduje się tam kilka eleganckich kawiarni i restauracji. One of the theatres, offering both classic and modern plays. The theatrical plaza is a fashionable place for meetings, there are some posh restaurants and cafés.

During my stay I stroke up several valuable acquaintances, the most significant one was getting to know my flatmates. Sharing the surface with three spanish girls helped me to experience the culture of this country, as well as to learn the language from a different perspective or find out interesting new things.

Leaving the main building I would cross the Faculty of Law, where a patio is situated. It is such a great place to sit and have a rest before the next classes. I also managed to walk up the roof of the building, but no great view from there, as the structure isn't tall.

The university square, surrounded by columns. It's a common place for meetings, I personally spent there my first two weeks by sitting on a bench and using the Internet from the uni. I have to admit, that in this regard many of the spanish universities offer a great access to the network and mostly the connection works without fault.

I was studying at two different campus, one in the city centre and the other one on the outskirts, about 8 or 9 km farther. The second mentioned, Espinardo campus, is situated in the hilly area and there was a great view over the city surrounded by mountains. Between those two places I used to travel by.. bike, which was for free to all the university students. When it comes to the subjects, I had some in the field of philology (literature, syntaxis) and puclic relations (foundation of communication).

In front of the library there is a rather small aquarium that belongs to the university. There weren't many fish species, but the entrance costs as less as 1 euro, so it's worth buying it and see some interesting varieties of mediterranean wildlife.

On the left side: Plaza de Flores. It's a place with charming coffeehouses and bars with tapas. It is also well known for Bonache- a bakery where you can buy (supposedly) the best Pastel de Carne, which is a local delicacy consisting of puff pastry with a minced meat stuffing.

On the right side: Rio de Segura river. Crossing the bridge seen on the picture above your'e going to reach Paseo de Malecón, which is a passage with various stalls offering local goods.

The former casino, now converted to a museum. This is definitely a place worth visiting, not only because it's well-kept but also it has an interesting history behind it and a diverse architecture styles. In addition, on the back there is a posh restaurant, quite pricey though.

Going farther through Traperia street (the most elegant in the city, with different boutiques) you'll arrive at Plaza de Santo Domingo. Now, this is probably my favorite place, it's bustling with life on Saturday and Sunday evenings. In the middle of the square there is a huge (well, maybe enormous would be a better word) tree whereas all around there are many coffeehouses and restaurants. On the eastern side there is also a church and a walkway that leads to the theatrical plaza. It is a perfect place to spend a relaxing time with someone you find important.

There are many other places in Murcia that I could recommend and I hope there will be an opportunity to do this one time. I have a lot of great memories from my stay in Spain and sometimes I regret that I didn't prolong my agreement, although I spent a lot of time thinking about it. Anyway, life goes on and I have many things to do, many plans to carry out. No complaints, I just have to be in the driver's seat. I am still enchanted by Spanish cuisine, its landscapes, totally unexpected places and extraordinary people. One thing is certain: I am going to benefit from all the things I've learned and the experiences I underwent. Now I can only be grateful for the time spent in such a fascinating and diversified mediterranean country. I also wish that I'll be able to make another journey in that direction soon.

I went to Málaga just before my last exams and spent there two days (January 18th-19th). Firstly, I was planning to combine this trip with going to Granada, but I was out of time and favorable circumstances. That's why I finally decided to devote Saturday and Sunday only to one city. This was my first stop in Andalusia and I wasn't disappointed, although right after arriving I met with a view of a dried up river and sagging plaster on sidings. Thankfully, it was only going to get better. I was hosted by a lovely Italian girl from couchsurfing and thanks to her I recall this time very well.

On of my main objects to see was Picasso Museum. We were lucky enough to get a great guide, who was relating in a fascinating way and making stops at particular paintings to ask us about the interpretation. I find it interesting, how different people perceive art, some of the comments made me smile (I especially liked the comparison of a woman to a sombrero).

Built on a hill, there is previously mentioned Alcazaba, which is an archaeological museum now. Unfortunately, we couldn't make our entrance because we came just half an hour after the closing and the next days was Sunday (which means even more relax for Spaniards).

That's already on the evening, we were passing through the harbour, which, by the way, is really pretty. All arround there are plenty of elegant restaurants and coffeehouses and even boutiques with clothing or jewelry.

Plaza de Toros. That's the photo from the next day morning, we went for a nice stroll, mainly wanting to spend some time by the seaside.

Mam bardzo pozytywne wrażenia z pobytu w Maladze, niby nie jest to małe miasto (pod względem liczby ludności 6. co do wielkości w kraju), ale można się w nim czuć przytulnie i po prostu.. na właściwym miejscu. Ja, jako osoba kochająca morze, świetnie odnalazłam się też na naprawdę czystej i zadbanej plaży. Nie mam niestety za bardzo zdjęć centrum z głównymi placami i uliczkami wypchanymi kawiarniami, ale mogę stwierdzić, że tam tętni życie miasta. Siedząc w ogródku jednego z pubów udało mi się też być świadkiem śpiewu cygana z jednym zębem, czym podobno uzupełniłam listę obowiązkowych rzeczy do zobaczenia w Maladze. Szczerze polecam to miejsce, dwa dni wystarczą na dokładne zwiedzenie, a tyle czasu pozwoli też poczuć klimat miasta.I was leaving Málaga with very positive feelings. Although it's quite a big city (the sixth largest municipality in country by population), you can still feel there cosily and just... in a right place. I also found myself loving its clean and trim beaches, as I'm a person who LOVES to be at the seaside. Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of the city centre with its main plazas and streets filled with coffeeshops, but I have to state, that it is the area teeming with life. Sitting outside one of the pubs I also witnessed the old one-tooth gypsy man singing, which (supposedly) helped me make my 'list of things to do in Malaga' complete. I highly recommend visiting this place, for me two days were enough for sightseeing and that amount of time is also sufficient to get the real feeling of the city.